Wet ring beam - missing insulation

Hello,

after quite a few things went wrong during the construction of our house, we have now had an expert come by for the 3rd time. He has now determined,

At the transition from the wall (ring beam) to the suspended ceiling, there was moisture penetration. This will lead to mold formation. The measured surface temperature in this area is only 9°C at an outside temperature of 5°C! (2nd inspection) The ring beam was able to be inspected with a telescopic mirror during the 3rd inspection. This confirmed the assumption of the undersigned. The ring beam is not insulated on the top side.

Now the question is: what to do next? The "simplest" option would probably be to insulate the ring beam all around and clad everything. Can someone tell me approximately what the costs for this would be (erecting scaffolding around the whole house, insulating, cladding)? Would the roofer/carpenter do this?

Our general contractor did not acknowledge the defect and continues to claim that it is only construction moisture!

I would really be grateful for any help!

Thank you for the response!

Yes, the report of course mentioned the thermal bridge! Meanwhile, thanks to heating, ventilation, and rising outside temperatures, the wet spots have dried out to the point that a residual moisture of 38% was measured at the soaked areas. Does anyone know how much it should be or from when it becomes critical? I’m also interested!

Yes, I understand that the GU must fix the defect, but as I said, he does not; according to the GU, it’s just "normal construction moisture," which I obviously consider total nonsense... The first deadline for acknowledging the defect and immediate remedy has passed without anything being done... Therefore, the next letter with a grace period and threat of refusal! I expect that this deadline will also pass without significant reactions and we will then have to take care of it ourselves after termination!

Therefore, still the question about the costs then and who has to do it???

Hello,

Yes, it is clear to me that the general contractor has to remedy the defect, but not to him,

then you have to make that clear to him somehow...... Have you shown him the expert report? What does he say about it?

So still the question about the costs then and who has to do it???

Your general contractor has to do it. He has to deliver you a defect-free house. From your descriptions, without knowing or having seen the exact circumstances, the property is not defect-free.

How long have you been living in the house? Have you paid everything already?

Regards

Hello,

basically, I see it the same way as you!

Our general contractor received the report, or rather all 3 reports, immediately after we had received them! Nothing is happening, though!

We are not yet living in the house because it would be somewhat difficult to paint, wallpaper, etc., since we did not know the cause of the moisture and it was simply too wet in some places! However, the house is mostly finished; last week the sanitary installations were mounted, and now only minor things remain, at least inside! We therefore have not had a handover of the house yet!

All defects are known to the general contractor; he has already taken care of minor issues, but the major, costly ones (such as the ring beam or a missing vertical waterproofing on the outside of the house) have not been fixed or even acknowledged!

Of course, we have withheld money, for example the last invoice, which just arrived after the tiler was finished! But we really want to finally be done and move in, especially since we have already rented out our current apartment... the tenant just cannot move in! You might find it a bit surprising how you can rent out without knowing when you yourself will move, but the ring beam problem only came up about 2 weeks ago when we were actually supposed to take over the house, and we had the expert come again for preparatory reasons... without new problems, we would already be living in the house!!!

Hello, Your GU naturally wants to sit it out. He probably doesn’t even care if you withhold the last installment. Therefore, I would take the report to a lawyer and get advice on how to proceed best. Regards

Hello KS-Bauer,

Your contractor naturally wants to wait it out. He probably doesn’t even care if you withhold the last payment. That’s why I would take the report to a lawyer and get advice on the best way to proceed

E.Curb certainly means well, as I have come to know him here. BUT ... before you actually go to a lawyer – these things usually take ages to get moving – play with it. If you are able to put on a "poker face," tell your contractor that he must believe you have already hired a lawyer and that this conversation is your last offer to quietly settle the matter. For many contractors, this speeds up decision-making; if that doesn’t work either, you can still spend additional money.

By the way: you have 3 reports on hand – I also assume you sent a complaint with a deadline to your contractor, which expired without result – then you can safely hire your own craftsman to fix the defects and thus use the money withheld so far in a result-oriented way. If this doesn’t please your contractor, he has to sue.

Best regards